Vaccines from several strains of rabies virus have been embployed widely in the immunization of animals.
One strain employed has been the well-known Flury strain which has been used for the immunization of dogs. The Flury strain was isolated by passage of a street virus through chick brains, and was adapted to growth in embryonated eggs.
Vaccines containing the Flury strain of rabies virus have been useful in the immunization of dogs against rabies. However, the Flury vaccine has certain disadvantages. It contains a relatively high amount of undesirable proteins to which the animal being treated may be sensitive and contains a relatively low amount of the active virus.
The E.R.A. strain of rabies virus, was derived from S.A.D. virus, a fixed virus strain, originally isolated from a rabid dog and propagated in mouse brain and hamster kidney cells, and then adapted to primary pig kidney tissue culture. A sample of the ERA strain of rabies virus was deposited with the American Type Culture Collection, Washington, D.C. on Oct. 29, 1964 and was recorded there as number VR 332.
Vaccines containing the ERA strain adapted to primary pig kidney tissue culture are widely used in immunizing various animal species including dogs, cats and cattle against rabies.
In order to determine whether the rabies virus is able to produce a sufficient number of rabies antibodies when injected as a vaccine in animals the serum titer of vaccinated animals is determined. In order to determine such titer a lengthy and tedious process has been employed in which serum-virus neutralization tests are carried out by preparing serial dilutions of serum, mixing with a lethal amount of rabies virus, allowing the virus-serum mixture to incubate for 11/2 hours at a temperture of 37.degree. C. in order to allow the rabies antibody to neutralize the virus, followed by inoculation of the serum-virus mixture into the brains of young mice. Survival of the inoculated mice compared to controls is a measure of the rabies antibody level.
During passage through primary pig kidney tissue the ERA strain of rabies virus occasionally caused some minor cytophatic changes in the tissue cultures. However, the cytopathology was irregular and no correlation was found between cytopathic changes and virus titer. Abelseth Can. Vet. Jour. Vol. 5, No. 4, April 1964, pages 84-87 and especially page 86.
Thus, it is not possible by observation of cytopathic effects to determine the titer of the ERA strain of rabies virus, or measure serum antibody in tissue culture systems